Constantine Dalassenos (duke of Antioch)
Encyclopedia
Constantine Dalassenos was a prominent Byzantine
aristocrat and general of the first half of the 11th century. An experienced as well as popular general, he twice came close to ascending the imperial throne and marriage to the porphyrogenita empress Zoe
, and suffered a long period of imprisonment under Michael IV the Paphlagonian, who feared that he plotted against him.
, who held the important post of doux
of Antioch
from 995/6 until his death in battle against the Fatimids at Apamea
in 998. Constantine, along with his brothers Romanos and Theophylaktos, was also present at the battle. He was probably one of the two sons of the magistros who, according to the Christian Arab historian Yahya of Antioch
, were captured by the Fatimids, taken to Cairo
and ransomed only in 1008.
Constantine reappears in spring 1024, when he held his father's old post as doux of Antioch, with the rank of patrikios. His career between 1008 and 1024 is unknown, but he probably held a succession of military commands. He enjoyed the favour of the emperor Constantine VIII
(r. 1025–1028), who on his deathbed reportedly considered naming him his heir and wedding him to his eldest daughter Zoe
. Constantine Dalassenos thus set out from his estates in the Armeniac Theme
, where he was living, but before reaching Constantinople
the situation changed: the emperor's advisors, who preferred a weak ruler whom they could control, had persuaded him to choose Romanos III Argyros (r. 1028–1034) instead, and to order Dalassenos to return home. Under Romanos III, Dalassenos served in the failed campaign of 1030 against Aleppo
; Arab sources and the chronicle of Matthew of Edessa
blame Dalassenos and his conspiring against Romanos for the expedition's failure.
During the reign of Argyros' successors, Michael IV the Paphlagonian (r. 1034–1041) and Michael V
(r. 1041–1042), Constantine Dalassenos emerged as the leader of the aristocratic opposition. He enjoyed not only the support of several prominent Anatolia
n families, most notably the powerful Doukai – the later emperor Constantine X Doukas (r. 1059–1067) was married to Dalassenos' daughter – but also, according to Michael Psellos
, of the populace both in Constantinople
and especially in his old command, Antioch.
The accession of the low-born Michael IV in particular reportedly enraged Dalassenos, who derided the new emperor as a "vulgar and three-penny man". Michael's eunuch brother and chief minister, John the Orphanotrophos, tried to neutralize Constantine Dalassenos. With the promise of titles and honours, they tried to lure him from his estates in the Armeniac Theme to Constantinople. Dalassenos at first refused, but after receiving assurances for his safety, guaranteed by an oath on some of the Empire's holiest relics, he left for the imperial capital. Initially, he was treated well, receiving a promotion and gifts, but in summer 1034, a revolt broke out in Antioch against the local governor, Michael IV's brother Niketas. The uprising was triggered by heavy taxation, but the Orphanotrophos chose to blame it on the Dalassenoi: Constantine, his brothers and relatives, including his son-in-law Constantine Doukas and other nobles associated with them, were imprisoned and exiled.
Constantine himself was first exiled to an island in the Sea of Marmara
, but later, to prevent his escape, he was transferred to a tower in the Walls of Constantinople
, along with Constantine Doukas. His military expertise however continued to be so valued that the Orphanotrophos considered sending him as a military advisor to his brother Constantine in a campaign against Abasgia. A later tradition has it that during Constantine's detainment in the capital, Zoe, who had yet to conceive a child, carried out a secret relationship with him in hopes of getting pregnant. At some point in 1041, Constantine was also forced to become a monk. The accounts here are contradictory: Psellos writes that Michael V did this upon his accession in December, but Michael Attaleiates in contrast records that Michael V had Dalassenos liberated from confinement.
After Michael V was deposed in a popular uprising in April 1042, Constantine VIII's daughters Zoe and Theodora
were left as de facto rulers of the Empire. By both custom and her own inclination, Zoe decided to choose another husband (her third) to be emperor. Constantine Dalassenos, who had almost become her first husband in 1028, was her first choice. He was brought for an audience before the Empress, but during their conversation, his austere principles and his independent and forceful manner displeased Zoe, and he was passed over in favour of the more pliant and amenable Constantine IX Monomachos
(r. 1042–1055). Constantine Dalassenos disappears thereafter from the sources.
Byzantine
Byzantine usually refers to the Roman Empire during the Middle Ages.Byzantine may also refer to:* A citizen of the Byzantine Empire, or native Greek during the Middle Ages...
aristocrat and general of the first half of the 11th century. An experienced as well as popular general, he twice came close to ascending the imperial throne and marriage to the porphyrogenita empress Zoe
Zoe (empress)
Zoe reigned as Byzantine Empress alongside her sister Theodora from April 19 to June 11, 1042...
, and suffered a long period of imprisonment under Michael IV the Paphlagonian, who feared that he plotted against him.
Life
Constantine was born probably ca. 965/970, the eldest son of the magistros Damian DalassenosDamian Dalassenos (duke of Antioch)
Damian Dalassenos was a Byzantine aristocrat and general, who served as the doux of Antioch in 995/6–998.Damian is the first attested member of the distinguished Dalassenos clan. As a holder of the high title of magistros, he succeeded the disgraced Michael Bourtzes as governor of Antioch in...
, who held the important post of doux
Dux
Dux is Latin for leader and later for Duke and its variant forms ....
of Antioch
Antioch
Antioch on the Orontes was an ancient city on the eastern side of the Orontes River. It is near the modern city of Antakya, Turkey.Founded near the end of the 4th century BC by Seleucus I Nicator, one of Alexander the Great's generals, Antioch eventually rivaled Alexandria as the chief city of the...
from 995/6 until his death in battle against the Fatimids at Apamea
Apamea (Syria)
Apamea was a treasure city and stud-depot of the Seleucid kings, was capital of Apamene, on the right bank of the Orontes River. . Its site is found about to the northwest of Hama, Syria, overlooking the Ghab valley...
in 998. Constantine, along with his brothers Romanos and Theophylaktos, was also present at the battle. He was probably one of the two sons of the magistros who, according to the Christian Arab historian Yahya of Antioch
Yahya of Antioch
Yahya of Antioch, full name Yaḥya ibn Saʿīd al-Anṭākī , was a Melkite Christian physician and historian of the 11th century....
, were captured by the Fatimids, taken to Cairo
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
and ransomed only in 1008.
Constantine reappears in spring 1024, when he held his father's old post as doux of Antioch, with the rank of patrikios. His career between 1008 and 1024 is unknown, but he probably held a succession of military commands. He enjoyed the favour of the emperor Constantine VIII
Constantine VIII
Constantine VIII was reigning Byzantine emperor from December 15, 1025 until his death. He was the son of the Emperor Romanos II and Theophano, and the younger brother of the eminent Basil II, who died childless and thus left the rule of the Byzantine Empire in his hands.-Family:As...
(r. 1025–1028), who on his deathbed reportedly considered naming him his heir and wedding him to his eldest daughter Zoe
Zoe (empress)
Zoe reigned as Byzantine Empress alongside her sister Theodora from April 19 to June 11, 1042...
. Constantine Dalassenos thus set out from his estates in the Armeniac Theme
Armeniac Theme
The Armeniac Theme , more properly the Theme of the Armeniacs was a Byzantine theme located in northeastern Asia Minor .-History:...
, where he was living, but before reaching Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
the situation changed: the emperor's advisors, who preferred a weak ruler whom they could control, had persuaded him to choose Romanos III Argyros (r. 1028–1034) instead, and to order Dalassenos to return home. Under Romanos III, Dalassenos served in the failed campaign of 1030 against Aleppo
Aleppo
Aleppo is the largest city in Syria and the capital of Aleppo Governorate, the most populous Syrian governorate. With an official population of 2,301,570 , expanding to over 2.5 million in the metropolitan area, it is also one of the largest cities in the Levant...
; Arab sources and the chronicle of Matthew of Edessa
Matthew of Edessa
Matthew of Edessa was an Armenian historian in the 12th century from the city of Edessa . Matthew was the superior abbot of Karmir Vank' , near the town of Kessoun, east of Marash , the former seat of Baldwin of Boulogne...
blame Dalassenos and his conspiring against Romanos for the expedition's failure.
During the reign of Argyros' successors, Michael IV the Paphlagonian (r. 1034–1041) and Michael V
Michael V
Michael V "the Caulker" or Kalaphates , , was Byzantine emperor for 4 months in 1041–1042, as the nephew and successor of Michael IV and the adoptive son of his wife, the Empress Zoe.Michael V was the son of Stephen by Maria, a sister of Emperor Michael IV...
(r. 1041–1042), Constantine Dalassenos emerged as the leader of the aristocratic opposition. He enjoyed not only the support of several prominent Anatolia
Anatolia
Anatolia is a geographic and historical term denoting the westernmost protrusion of Asia, comprising the majority of the Republic of Turkey...
n families, most notably the powerful Doukai – the later emperor Constantine X Doukas (r. 1059–1067) was married to Dalassenos' daughter – but also, according to Michael Psellos
Michael Psellos
Michael Psellos or Psellus was a Byzantine monk, writer, philosopher, politician and historian...
, of the populace both in Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
and especially in his old command, Antioch.
The accession of the low-born Michael IV in particular reportedly enraged Dalassenos, who derided the new emperor as a "vulgar and three-penny man". Michael's eunuch brother and chief minister, John the Orphanotrophos, tried to neutralize Constantine Dalassenos. With the promise of titles and honours, they tried to lure him from his estates in the Armeniac Theme to Constantinople. Dalassenos at first refused, but after receiving assurances for his safety, guaranteed by an oath on some of the Empire's holiest relics, he left for the imperial capital. Initially, he was treated well, receiving a promotion and gifts, but in summer 1034, a revolt broke out in Antioch against the local governor, Michael IV's brother Niketas. The uprising was triggered by heavy taxation, but the Orphanotrophos chose to blame it on the Dalassenoi: Constantine, his brothers and relatives, including his son-in-law Constantine Doukas and other nobles associated with them, were imprisoned and exiled.
Constantine himself was first exiled to an island in the Sea of Marmara
Sea of Marmara
The Sea of Marmara , also known as the Sea of Marmora or the Marmara Sea, and in the context of classical antiquity as the Propontis , is the inland sea that connects the Black Sea to the Aegean Sea, thus separating Turkey's Asian and European parts. The Bosphorus strait connects it to the Black...
, but later, to prevent his escape, he was transferred to a tower in the Walls of Constantinople
Walls of Constantinople
The Walls of Constantinople are a series of defensive stone walls that have surrounded and protected the city of Constantinople since its founding as the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire by Constantine the Great...
, along with Constantine Doukas. His military expertise however continued to be so valued that the Orphanotrophos considered sending him as a military advisor to his brother Constantine in a campaign against Abasgia. A later tradition has it that during Constantine's detainment in the capital, Zoe, who had yet to conceive a child, carried out a secret relationship with him in hopes of getting pregnant. At some point in 1041, Constantine was also forced to become a monk. The accounts here are contradictory: Psellos writes that Michael V did this upon his accession in December, but Michael Attaleiates in contrast records that Michael V had Dalassenos liberated from confinement.
After Michael V was deposed in a popular uprising in April 1042, Constantine VIII's daughters Zoe and Theodora
Theodora (11th century)
Theodora was a Byzantine Empress. Born into the Macedonian dynasty that had ruled the Byzantine Empire for almost two hundred years, she was co-empress with her sister Zoe for two months in 1042 and sole empress from 11 January 1055 to after 31 August 1056...
were left as de facto rulers of the Empire. By both custom and her own inclination, Zoe decided to choose another husband (her third) to be emperor. Constantine Dalassenos, who had almost become her first husband in 1028, was her first choice. He was brought for an audience before the Empress, but during their conversation, his austere principles and his independent and forceful manner displeased Zoe, and he was passed over in favour of the more pliant and amenable Constantine IX Monomachos
Constantine IX Monomachos
Constantine IX Monomachos, Latinized as Constantine IX Monomachus , c. 1000 – January 11, 1055, reigned as Byzantine emperor from June 11, 1042 to January 11, 1055. He had been chosen by the Empress Zoe as a husband and co-emperor in 1042, although he had been exiled for conspiring...
(r. 1042–1055). Constantine Dalassenos disappears thereafter from the sources.